Garden Heaven With A DIY Summerhouse

Do you want to make the most out of any extra space in your yard? One of the best ways to maximize the use of spare garden areas is to build your own summer house.

A summer house - sometimes called a gazebo - can be utilized in so many ways.

My favorite is to make it into a private, almost secret, retreat from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

The great advantage of any summer house is, of course, the way it gives you so much extra enjoyment of your garden. And, when or if you eventually decide to sell your property, that summer house will be a very attractive feature for any prospective buyers.

When you build your own summer house, you are also effectively building an extra and unique room for your home. The summer house is totally different from the other rooms that you have because it is outside the confines of the home. It is independent, in a way, and can be used for all sorts of things that you might not wish, or be able, to do inside the house.

Yes, it can become just another room for all the family to use as and when the mood takes them. The family can start enjoying eating dinner away from the television and actually taking pleasure in each other's company for a change. Teenagers can use it for playing their special brand of loud music without driving Dad around the twist! And I regret to say that some people just use their summer houses as glorified storage sheds. That is a shame.

Here are some ways to make the most of your gazebo.

The best way to use a summer house is as a quiet place to study and write, perhaps your next Hub, a place away from the distractions inside the house - the television, the internet, and calls on the phone from friends. A garden setting provides a great environment to learn and study, or just to enjoy some peace and quiet.

The summer house can be a perfect place for meditation and soul searching, a sort of retreat. You can sit and admire the flowers and other plants in your garden while taking a sip of your favorite wine. You can even listen to your favorite jazz pieces or your collection of classical music while relaxing in the perfect environment provided by the summer house that you built yourself. It can provide that special place where you can do your yoga exercises.

One of the greatest things about having a summer house is that you do not need to tidy up the place if there are visitors arriving!

Garden Gazebo at Night

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There is so much that has been written about summer houses, but the following book is my best recommendation for anyone thinking about building a summer house from scratch.

I suppose what all this means is that the summer house can be the ideal place to do things alone. I like that. We all need our own space once in a while, and a beautiful summer house is the perfect place to go and spend time just for you.

Now, I am a keen DIY enthusiast, so the thought of building a summer house from scratch appeals to me. It is also much cheaper than buying a ready-made gazebo or flat pack kit.

It is not really for the novice carpenter, however, because accuracy in cutting and assembling timber is paramount. An off-vertical post or crooked joint will be glaringly obvious and, once made, will be difficult to correct. You want your summer house design to be attractive and a beautiful addition to your garden.

This is a great summerhouse assembly, even though there was some criticism of the foundation. Pouring concrete directly on vegetation is not a good way to do it if you want to avoid cracking of the slab. However, it seemed to work for the wedding. The gazebo looks terrific, don't you think?

So, you plan to build your own summerhouse. What's the next step?

I strongly recommend that you use a good set of summer house plans to get the whole project right first time. This is important because, if you are struggling to do it all on your own, you will not only get dispirited when things go wonky but also you will waste money on badly-cut timber that you have to throw away.

The other advantage with plans for summer houses produced by professionals is that you get a huge range of summer house designs from which to choose, and plenty of step-by-step instructions to help with the assembly. Last, but certainly not least, you get comprehensive lists of materials needed for the entire construction project, together with exact cut dimensions. These are invaluable because it is very difficult for the average person to work these things out from drawings.

I hope this has inspired you to follow your dream and build that special summer house for yourself. The result will not only fill you full of pride but also will be a really beautiful addition to your garden.

Do you love these beautiful buildings and the way they can add so much value to your garden? I would love to have your views, and to share them with all the other gazebo-lovers in Squidoo!